On 29th July 2024, a horrific stabbing attack took place in Southport in Northern England. A 17-year-old man attacked a local dance event which was mainly attended by young children.
The attack caused the death of at least three children, and caused horror across the United Kingdom. Others remain in critical condition.
The identity of the 17-year-old attacker has not yet been confirmed. However, somewhere along the way, the attacker has supposedly (and incorrectly) been named on social media. But unfortunately, as we will discuss, this is erroneous and is misinformation.
Background
Southport is in Merseyside in Northern England. It is a small town that has a population of under 100,000. It is an area that has rarely made headlines, until recently.
On 29th July 2024, at 10am, a group of children arrived at The Hart Space – a community area. The children took part in a Taylor Swift-themed dance, bracelet making and yoga class.
The event was attended by children aged 6 to 11. It is believed that 25 children were in attendance, along with staff members. At around 11:45am, a stabbing attack was carried out.
Details on the attack are still emerging, though it is known that a 17-year-old man attacked the event, and heinously killed three children, and left many others critically injured.
The man attacked people there with a knife. Merseyside Police detained a 17-year-old man in the aftermath of the attack, and arrested him on suspicion of murder.
The attack made international headlines, and caused significant uproar. Fuelling this uproar was the suggestion that an illegal migrant had conducted the attack – but is this true?
Who is Ali Al Shakati?
In the hours following the stabbing, the name “Ali Al Shakati” was trending on X (formerly called Twitter). The name was also being heavily discussed and searched for on other social media platforms – including TikTok.
The belief throughout social media was that this person was the attacker. Many were referring to him as an illegal migrant that had arrived in the United Kingdom on a dinghy.
There is currently significant disdain for many in the United Kingdom at the seemingly endless arrivals on small boats by migrants. Coupling this with the anger of three defenceless children being slain, and anger turned to vitriol.
The news site Channel3 News – which has links to Russia and India – were the first to “name” the attacker. They also stated that Shakati was on the MI6 watchlist, and was known by Liverpool’s mental health services.
This update was pounced upon, and led to enormous discussion on the name, and its connotations. Social media was awash with fury over the situation.
However, there are a series of issues with this. Upon looking into the case more, it becomes clear that the attacker was not someone named Ali Al Shakati.
Why was it NOT Ali Al Shakati?
It is important to state that the Police have said the suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales. Therefore, he did not arrive on a dinghy last year.
This is of course unless he left the country and later came back – but being born in the UK would mean he would have a right to citizenship, and would surely therefore not need to resort to returning on a dinghy.
Moreover, the report mentioned that Al Shakati was on the “MI6” watchlist. However, this isn’t feasible, as MI6 work outside the UK to gather intelligence. It is MI5 that focus on internal, UK specific, security.
In fact, it isn’t known who “Ali Al Shakati” is. It is possible that a name of Arabic descent was created as a way of trying to stoke further division in the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom also has a draconian rule of refusing to allow reporting on the name of criminals aged under 18. This is an infuriating rule, and has led to significant criticism – with many arguing the UK protects such criminals.
But in terms of this case, it means that it isn’t possible for this name to have been released yet. The chances of a small media website being the first to be told of an attacker’s name seems rather remote.
In fact, Merseyside Police have released a statement that has confirmed the name posted online is incorrect. They have urged people not “to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing”.
The bigger picture
The open borders and radical Islam do represent significant issues in the United Kingdom. As much as people pretend this isn’t an issue – it is.
However, using a horrific case like this to pedal a political narrative of blaming migrants is not helpful. It furthers the divisions that this country continues to experience.
It may turn out in the days to come that the attacker was indeed an illegal migrant. If that is the case then the fury will continue. But until this has been confirmed, we all need to hold on.
The Takeaway
It is important to let the Police conduct their investigation without interference. There is quite understandably significant public concern about the situation.
What is most important is that we remember that three poor girls who were enjoying their Summer Holiday from school had their lives cut tragically short. May they rest in peace.
